In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss

Amy Bloom’s memoir In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss traces Bloom and her husband’s, Brian Ameche, relationship after Brian is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Bloom’s first-person point of view lends the memoir a vulnerable, humorous, and emotional tone, but the memoir also shares many of the same narrative elements Bloom employs in her four novels (Love Invents Us, Away, Lucky Us, and White Houses), including imagery, symbolism, and a nonlinear structure. The memoir is broken into two sections, each of which contains brief titled chapters. Some of these chapters are set in the days immediately preceding Brian’s assisted suicide with the Swiss nonprofit organization Dignitas. Others feature scenes from Bloom and Brian’s early romance, their wedding, and their daily lives together. These formal choices reflect the memoir’s thematic explorations, including The Personal and Emotional Impact of Alzheimer’s, The Struggle for Autonomy and Dignity, and The Power of Love and Commitment in Challenging Times.

This guide refers to the 2023 Random House Trade paperback edition of the memoir.